SerendipityHappens

YES. I talked to the nutritionist about starting 12 weeks early. Details and weightloss info in my signature.

Same thing is happening to me on my 12 week VLCD preop. I lost a LOT of weight the first two weeks and then have been plateaued since. I'm now in week 8 and the scale only just now started moving again and went down by 3 more pounds. I have read that stalls of even two months are not uncommon.

I could have had my sister come with me, but I feel the same way. I want to be able to just relax and watch TV and walk around the hotel/hospital without worrying about someone else being bored out of her mind!

If you don't have any coffee you can add a small spoon of instant coffee with ice and fat free milk.

It's not usually a problem since the gallbladder and stomach aren't that close together, so even if you have adhesions, it shouldn't interfere. I asked my doctors and they said they've done many lap vsg surgeries on patients who have had prior gallbladder removal.

Severe calorie restriction will slow our metabolisms temporarily, but it won't shut them down! I don't have the reference here in front of me but I believe that the slow down can be as much as 10% in some people. That's a lot different than "completely shutting down your metabolism" as people would lead you to believe. I have read and I don't know how true this one is... that the slow down continues to last half as long again as the length of time you were restricting calories. That's why it's important to be very controlled when increasing your calories. Also, the more weight you have to lose the less you can eat because we have TONS of fuel just waiting to be converted into energy!

Not mean, just observant!

Only say the gallbladder thing if you are actually having your gallbladder out along with the surgery.. If you're not having your gallbladder out at time of surgery you don't want to risk it becasue a lot of people get gallbladder problems after WLS and then when you get your gallbladder out for real, you'l have to make up another excuse! "hernia repair" is a good cover. Personally I HATE that there is such a negative stigma about WLS that so many of us feel we have to keep it hidden.

A good BM... BEST. THING. EVER.

I've told only my boyfriend and my sisters. It's not a secret, but I'm not advertising it either. Once I start losing I'll have no problem saying I've had surgery.

A poached pear sounds REALLY nice right now.

Just something helpful for those of you who like me are tired of banging your head against the wall each time someone post something new here: Click on your name at the top of the page. select "content I follow" See where it says toggle options? click that and you'll see little check boxes Choose this topic and click on the check box scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose unfollow this topic. and VOILA. you don't have keep having this topic come up in your notifications anymore.

I appreciate this. I'm hoping that I won't have a difficult recovery since I have to fly home five days later but I agree it's best to prepare for the worst. That's why I booked an extra night in TJ... even though most people report the recovery being a breeze, I wanted to be on the safe side. When I had my gallbladder out the pain was horrific (course my doctor said my surgery was worst case scenario. It was gangrene and had ruptured and the infection was septic) and I think in my mind I'm expecting that level of pain.

Yes.

I've been on the preop diet for 7 weeks now. It's not hard. You can DO IT! Also futuresleever, I really CAN'T afford going to Mexico either. I had to really scrimp and save. Keep fighting your insurance, but also keep putting away pennies.. I didn't have an extra $4500 laying around that's for sure! Where there is a will there is a way! Don't give up!

Which is why porkrinds have tons of protein but the package states "not a significant source of protein" !

If it was me, I'd check to see how many hoops my new insurance would make me jump though.. If I could get it done with insurance within the year, then I'd do it. If I had to wait for a long time and then possibly still not qualify then I'd be in Mexico.. Also, look at the waiting time as a period to lose weight and focus on changing eating habits. I know that the same is not true for everyone, but for me personally losing weight is a lot easier when you have a light at the end of the tunnel.

Congratulations! Stories like this make my day!

It was a staple that didn't hold. Not a preexisting condition. Now a lot of people will play "blame the victim" and say .. "ahhh she must have gone off her diet and eaten something she wasn't supposed to" but that's not necessarily so. These things happen. Leaks happen.. even with perfect surgeons and perfect patients leaks can happen. It's a scary thought so it's easier to try to assess blame. NOW, where I will agree that this sounds like malpractice is that she went to the doctor's office with symptoms of a leak (the post says she went to both her GP AND the surgeon) and she was NOT TESTED FOR A LEAK.. OK, so maybe her GP can have a pass on that, but the SURGEON should have been more thorough and if he had, this poor woman may not have had to endure so much. While I don't agree with the OP's stance that nobody should have this surgery and this is a "bad surgery" and diet and exercise are the only option. I do see this as a cautionary tale. If something doesn't feel right, advocate for yourself.. FIGHT to be tested in any way that you feel necessary and don't delay and worry about being a "bother" to your surgeon or to the hospital.

ME! I've had my surgery date scheduled since November and the time has been flying by! Details are in my sig

Amy, I have poured over the information here for hours: http://www.muhealth.org/body_bariatric.cfm?id=5019 This booklet especially is AWESOME: http://www.muhealth.org/documents/bariatric/Bariatric%20Booklet%20VSG.pdf

Yes, I always check with the booking agencies, but often certain airlines aren't listed with them or it's a PITA to make changes. I booked directly with Aeroflot on my last international flight and got a ridiculously low fare..

also try through JetBlue directly. I got non stop from boston for a very good price.

I just spoke with Christy again today and sent my deposit. She's super helpful but not at all overbearing or pushy. Bigepc and peppe, can't wait to read your recap of you experiences.

This is a very sad story indeed. Seriously sounds like malpractice. I disagree with the whole "someone I love had a very bad experience therefore this is a bad surgery to have" mentality. My grandmother died of complications following knee replacement surgery, but I would never advise that people would be better of in wheelchairs rather than getting knee replacement surgery. It just doesn't make any sense.